Home
News
You are here

Google's experimental new Search app is lighter, prettier, and probably not made for you

2comments

By Kaloyan C.

Updated: Aug 17, 2017, 3:16 AM

Google's experimental new Search app is lighter, prettier, and probably not made for you

Google's Search app on Android has been more than just a native interface for the company's flagship product for years now — opening it instantly provides you with info about traffic, weather, as well as whatever interests its algorithms have detected. And all that is good and well, except it also means the app has become a bit bloated with features many will never use, which also happen to eat up precious data.

Thus, Google has decided to follow in the footsteps of other companies, including Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter (sort of), and has started testing a new, lighter Search app. Search (Test App), as it's currently called, offers users a number of data-saving and customization features not present in the current Google app.

For starters, the home page isn't full of Google Now cards, but instead offers different, user-customizable bubbles corresponding to different functions: Search, Weather, Translate, News, etc. The search bar is at the bottom where it's much easier to reach, and the background can be changed by the user — something we haven't seen since the days of iGoogle.

And thanks to the built-in data saving features, this is the first time ever an official Google mobile app offers Instant Search — something which, ironically, Google killed off just a couple of weeks ago because it never worked on smartphones. Search suggestions also don't take up half your screen real estate since they appear as horizontal bubbles right above the search bar.

So the good news is that this app offers some major improvements upon its mainstream counterpart. The bad news, however, is that even if/when it's out of beta, many of you won't be able to officially use it.

Right now, the app is only available for opt-in testing in Indonesia, and all signs point towards it not being available outside that country (and maybe India as well). However, you can still manually sideload the app and try it out for yourself via the source link below, but be aware that it's still in the very early testing phase, so bugs may be abound.

source: APKMirror, Android Police

$349

$799

$450 off (56%)

Mint Mobile now sells the Google Pixel 10 with a massive $450 discount. The promo is available on select color variants with 128GB of storage. You also get a 12-month unlimited data plan for $180 instead of $360.

Buy at Mint Mobile

$524

$999

$475 off (48%)

Grab the pro-grade, compact Pixel 10 Pro at Mint Mobile with a 12-month unlimited plan, and you can save a huge $475. The data plan comes with a discount, too: 50% off, to be exact.

Buy at Mint Mobile

$499

$1199

$700 off (58%)

The high-end Gemini AI-enhanced Pixel 10 Pro XL is now available with a mind-blowing discount. You can now save $700 on the phone, plus 50% off unlimited 12-month plans.

Buy at Mint Mobile

$1399

$1799

$400 off (22%)

The foldable Pixel 10 Pro Fold is another standout holiday offer. Right now, you can get the device for $400 off at Mint Mobile. On top of that, you save $180 on 12-month unlimited data plans.

Buy at Mint Mobile